Save Money, Save the Planet: Tag Along

Kansas City, like any major city, has a problem with rush hour traffic. The commute is slow and dangerous with people zipping around each other to get to work on time. The main problem here is these people are in their cars ALONE! What I’ve created is a tool to connect these morning rush hour commuters, not only based on destination, but schedule as well. These commuters are busy and have an ever changing schedule, so why limit the idea of carpooling to the same carpool companion every day; why not draw from every commuter? I created a flexible system that facilitates and encourages people to ride with anyone goin’ their way.

Here is the login page for TagAlong.com, the participant is given a message about our mission. Also there is a spot to encourage people to sign up if they find the site by accident.

This is the main page of the site. A busy schedule is why most commuters don’t carpool. So, here they can input their schedules to be match with other riders. Click my blog link for more detail!

The map allows carpoolers to see where their pickups are located, and gives directions for the route. Drivers have the option to add a stop for gas, and the site will update the route with a pit stop.

TagAlong can calculate the cost of gasoline to the driver, and divide that among the riders in the car. So, at the end of each month riders can pay their drivers; allowing everyone to save money.

This section would update weekly with videos from around the web. They would provide drivers with useful information on car maintenance, safe driving, and tips for getting better gas mileage.

Kansas City has a traffic and emissions problem, as most cities tend to have. There are many methods that cities attempt to solve this problem, building carpool lanes (too expensive), congestion tariffs (hurt low income families), public transit (people can't get to, or from them). So how do I solve this problem in KC MO?

I have created an online community that allows people to quickly and easily be paired with other carpoolers. My system would allow for people with changing/busy schedules to carpool with many people, while also mapping routes, finding cheap gas, etc. This encourages KC residents to save money and emissions by carpooling.